Just in case there are any people on this forum even I little bit close I've decided to post this website Lorain County Dog Warden (OHIO)
Just recently there's been a huge jump in the numbers of dogs at this pound. It is one of the last KILL shelters/pounds in the area, and the dogs need help! Many have been kept past the usual week date due to sympathy from the workers, but their time is running out!
The website does not post ALL of the dogs that are at the pound due to lack of know-how about posting pictures/html.
Also, unfortunatly, the pit bulls are automatically put to sleep after their time waiting for an owner to come get them passes. Obvious pit bull mixes that look "weary" are also killed. If the dog snarls or bites they are not avalable for adoption either.
And what kills me - the Animal Protection League, the county's officail no-kill shelter takes their dogs to this pound, usually to die. What a wonderful No-Kill shelter, right?
If you're too far away go ahead and tell your friends, because any help is appriciated.

P.S- If anyone could give some solid advice on how to get started and bring things to peoples attention to promote change with the local animal organizations it Would Be Appriciated!!

How to get started. Contact your local media. I don't mean just call. Type up the facts and contact information. Given them other places in the area to compare. Say this shelter practices this and this and this while this shelter in Smallville has a no-kill policy and better promotes/practises spaying/neutering. Something like that. Be clear. As a journalist, it's sometimes hard for me to decipher press releases. OR getting a note from the reception that says "Marge called." And nothign more. That's why it's good to leave them paperwork. Fax it if you can/want to.

Another thing you could do is put up fliers or start a petition. Get friends/kids to pass it around at work/school.

Contact interested organizations. Something like PETA but I'm not sure they are right.

Contact the local vets and see if they will give a discount on spays/neuters for animals from this shelters. That may help increase adoption.

One of the things that I"m starting to do for my local shelter is make up a weekly poster to put up in the pet store in the mall of all the animals needing homes. My thinking is that the pet store gets a lot more traffic than the shelter on the little off-street. The pet shop doesn't sell animals and is quite supportive of pets being adopted from shelters. That may not help you though.

Great ideas, Saje! The AgriFeed and Pet Supply store where I buy my dog stuff is PLASTERED with adoption posters, and they sponsor adoption fairs there in the back warehouse area of the store where the shelters bring some animals, do a 'meet and greet' with propective owners, talk to people, etc. I don't think any dogs or cats are actually sent home with people on the spot typically, but they take the applications and go over them and interview if it's not too mobbed.

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***8206;"silence is the language of god, all else is poor translation."
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I just posted that on another forum like two days ago. Me and my cousin where going to try and go and pull one out every week and try to get it adopted but we haven't put much thought into it yet. Thats where my little beagle mix came from. It seems that every couple of months there is some big scandal and then everyone is fired. The humane officer Mitch something has been trying for a while to get it all fixed. The problem is that they won't let outside people in to help. You can only volunteer if your on parole or community service. In the paper a while ago they had a thing about the people on the board quiting because it was so bad. If you haven't noticed the shelters almost as bad.

I typed a really long reply to this, but coudln't bring myself hit reply. Too much of a rant, but I felt like I got it all off of my chest, even if no one read it.
Joce, did you see all of the stuff in the paper? The drama with the old warden suposidly abusing the dogs at the pound? The APL taking a wounded dog to the pound and got in trouble for it, and only then did they fight the Erie Shores Humane Society to get it back. Had to be put to sleep if I remember right. A worker letting his pit bull attack a pile of dogs that'd already been through the death chamber to boost its ego to win a fight that weekend. . . ?
Is this not insane?!
You've got the problem pinpointed. They won't let anyone help. Thats just dumb in my oppinion. If you've got people willing to work wouldn't you let them? Shouldn't there views all be the same - trying to help the animals? The shelters are just as bad, from personal experiance, IMO. I used to volinteer at the APL. Key word in that sentence being *used*! I always get a lot of flak when I say that Mitch can be just as bad, but people don't get to see the real side of him like my mother and I have. Everytime I see him at the pound he's fighting to get the 20lb and under purebred looking dogs. How is that any better, I have know idea.

Thanks for the info Saje. I hope to get started and get things moving. I hope to have several allies and get this thing on the road, after all, it can't get much worse.

Quote:

Originally Posted by joce

Me and my cousin where going to try and go and pull one out every week and try to get it adopted but we haven't put much thought into it yet. Thats where my little beagle mix came from.

This is what me and my little group of 'rescuers' do occasionally. Its very rewarding if you can handle it, but keep in mind that it is not likly for anyone to help with funds, just your own pocket. That's where a recent foster, also a beagle mix (Roxy) came from. They get beagles there often because they wander off is what I'm told

Sorry so long... if it makes you feel any better it was going to be at least two times longer lol

There was a group that wrote into the opinion page of the chronicle that were trying to get something done but I don't know how you would go about looking that up. I should have saved it.

It seems worse every time i hear about it. People kicking the dogs, dragging them back nd forth from shelter to pound, its so ridiculous! And how hard is it not to find someone who isn't a complete druggie to run the place. Wasn't it two people in a row that got fired for that!

She's rehomed a few already but they are just ones people bring to her or she finds. It's her house they stay at so I don't mind! The last one liked to spray on the walls! That took a lot of work. And there are so many people that dump strays out here where I live thinking that, its a farm, they need more dogs! ANd there are even more cats.

Some of the other shelters might have more of an idea too. I've heard good things about oasis in oberlin.
You definately could write into all the papers and raise a stink. They seem to love talking about it too. The last one had a contact number so you could always include an email address for people to contact you. Maybe the group that wrote it the first time would see it. I was joking to someone about calling dick goddard form chanell 8 but that really might be a good idea. If you did get a group together or want to draw attention to the fact that they are pts all the time he might actually say something.

***65279;Those are all such good ideas. I was about to put a post about how to get more recognition for our animal shelter but thought I'd check to see if there were already one on here and ...well here it is. Man I thought ours was bad but we're nothing like what the one ya'll are talking about. Luckily I work with our Dog Warden and I know for a fact he at least takes care of them -getting them medical attention when they need it and feeding them daily etc. They may not get as much personal attention as I'd like but at least they're not abused and mishandled. Our problem is that we're a REAL small county and the pound is county run, we don't have a local no-kill shelter either and the closest ones won't take our dogs cause we're out of their jurisdiction (even from the public). We don't get a lot of funding so we're limited on things. One is size - our shelter is small so it can only hold so many dogs. Once we get full our only other option (as of now) is euthanization, the ones that's been there the longest goes and unfortuantly it doesn't take very long to get full again - like 7-12 days really, we don't have a very large turn around either. We luckily get donations from a local Wal-Mart on food. When they get in a damaged bag or cans of food they set it aside to distribute to local pounds - us included. Last load we were able to get literally took up the whole bed of our truck. We have to buy a lot but that helps some. I would like to get the word out that we DO have a shelter and we DO have FREE adoptions (only requirement is to just have to get your dog spayed or neautered) and we DO offer fostering - which no one seems to know about any of that here in our area. I hadn't thought about the paper and I have a good friend who is a journalist that I could probably convince to do an article. Plus it's too far for me to travel every week but I might try to convince the Animal Warden to take my camera with him and get one of the guys up there to take pictures a couple of times a week and maybe I can print and post them at Wal-Mart (we're there every Saturday). As far as the article goes I have to be careful because if negative feedback come in from it, depending on how it's handled that could mean my job (politics for ya). I wish we could get public donations and volunteers but on most things insurance won't allow it (ie: building on to our shelter, assisting AW on jobs). Thanks guys for the suggestions - I'll get right on those!! If you have anymore just keep them coming!!

You really shouldn't believe all you read in the papers or hear from the likes of Mitch. Most of the issues you speak of are old or grossly distorted renditions of small issues blown way out of proportion. The Lorain pound has been on a real good up swing since about Oct. I can tell you how if you really want to help. Or are you another one of those fanatics who thinks they know everything - or do you really want to know what's what?

Yes i would love to help out anywhere at pounds or shelters! I volunteer at my local shelter to help find animals that are at the shelter loving homes.
~!~Mandy~!~
PS:Please let me know some other ways i can help.
(Thanks)